Round corner cutting machine for record cards



Dec. 12, 1967 w. G. THOMSON 3,357,289

ROUND CORNER CUTTING MACHINE FOR RECORD CARDS Filed Deo. 27, 1965 /N VE /V TUR.

WALTER G. THOMSON United States Patent 3,357,289 ROUND CORNER CUTTING MACHINE FOR RECGRD CARDS Walter G. Thomson, Endwell, N.Y., assigner to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516,498` 3 Claims. (Cl. 83-389) The present invention relates to a device for cutting round corners on record cards such as data processing or business machine cards, or similar sheets of paper or card stock.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device for rounding the corners of record cards after the card stock has been printed, cut into unit record forms and stacked.

Another object is the provision of a new and improved device or machine for cutting round corners on a stack of record cards usin-g a relatively light cutting force.

In accordance with the invention, the round corner cutting device comprises a mounting plate -assembly from which depend a plurality of elongated pressure rods. An arcuate knife is mounted on each pressure rod for simultaneous oscillation about the rod while translating along the rod to project therefrom. The feet of the pressure rods are moved into engagement with the corners of the stack of cards to exert a predetermined amount of force on the stack. The oscillating knives are slowly advanced along the pressure rods into the stack to cut round corners with a relatively light force as compared to a straight guillotining action without rotation.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill be app-arent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the round corner cutting device, parts being shown broken away and in cross section;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cutting edge taken approximately on the line 2 2 of FIG. 1 (the retractable foot being omitted), and showing the record card with round corners.

Record cards 11 are preferably the familiar data processing or business machines cards having punched information typically arranged at positions in twelve rows down and eighty columns across. Round corners 13 are provided at the corners of each card by the round corner cutting device indicated generally at 15. Cards having round corners have been found to be longer lasting than the conventional rectangular card. The device or machine 15 operates on a stack of record cards 11 wherein the cards are superimposed one upon the other with their edges in alignment.

Preferably the round corners are cut while the record cards 11 are in the card stacker mechanism of a card making machine for printing a web of cardstock, cutting the web into unit record card lengths, drying the printed cards on a carrier wheel, and releasing the cards into a stacker device. Such a card making machine is shown for instance in U.S. Patent No. 2,181,935 to F. M. Carroll, dated Dec. 5, 1939, wherein the card stacker is shown in FIGS. l and 18. This card stacker has provision for accepting stacks of about `666 cards (1/3 of a box of 2,000 cards) and for aligning them lengthwise and crosswise. Rather than being associated with a card making machine, it is of course possible for the round corner cutting device 15 to be used independently, and this is in fact the embodiment illustrated somewhat diagrammatically in FIG. l. The stack of record cards 11 is laid on 3,357,255 Fatented Dec. 12, 1967 the surface of table 17 and laligned by being placed against guide plates 19 and 21 supported on the table at right angles to one another. If desired, additional adjustable guide plates 23 and 25 for engaging the other edges of the card can be provided. The round corner cutting device 15 is supported above the stack of cards and is made adjustable toward and away from the stack of cards as for instance by being mounted on a stationary support 27 from which depends -an air cylinder 29 attached to the main mounting plate 31 of the machine.

In FIG. l only half of the round corner cutting device 15 is illustrated for operating on two corners lat one end of the cards 11, it being understood that the other half is identical or .at least similar in principle. Depending from the central portion of the main mounting plate 31 is a guide post 33. A subplate 35 is slidable on the upper end of the guide post 33 and normally rests on `and is limited in its downward travel by stop collar 37. A pair of elongated vertical pressure rods 41 are slidable in apertures in the outer corners of the `subplate 35 and are adjustably secured to the subplate by set screws 38. The rods 41 extend upwardly through aligned apertures in mounting plate 31 and each has a stop collar 42 about its upper end. A compression spring 39 is disposed on each of the rods 41 between the plates 31 and 35, urging the two plates apart by a spring force which can be adjusted. The combination of the plates 31 and 35 and connecting parts together form a mounting plate assembly for the machine.

At the bottom end of each of the pressure rods 41 is a retractable foot member 453. Each foot member 43 is slidable in a bore 45 in the end of the rod 41 and is urged downwardly by compression spring 47 to engage its shoulder 49 with a retaining ring 51 supported in the bore. After the stack of cards 11 has been placed beneath the corner cutting machine 15, the air cylinder 29 is energized to lower the machine until the retractable feet 43 engage the corners of the cards 11 with the appropriate amount of force. Each foot member 43 is retracted within the bore 45 against the force of the spring 47. It can be seen that the function of the springs 39 in the mounting plate assembly is to provide an .adjustment for the amount of pressure applied by the machine to the corners of the stack of cards 11.

Round corners are cut on the cards 11 by means of oscillating knives 53 mounted on the pressure rods 41 for translation along the rods to lower the knives guillotinefashion through the stack of cards while the knives continuously oscillate back and forth. The knives 53 preferably are half circular except at the top where they are fully cylindrical, and have suflicient length to project Ibeyond the end of pressure rods 41 and retractable feet 43 to the bottom of the stack of cards. Preferably each knife 53 is pressed into the lower end of a bearing sleeve 55 about its respective pressure rod 41 for movement with the sleeve. The cutting edge of knife 55 in crosssection (see FIG. 2) extends to about a quarter of a circle and has a beveled lower end 57 terminating in a sharp arcuate knife edge. The radius r of the knife edge of course corresponds to the radius of the round corners to be cut in the cards `11.

To effect translation of the knives 53 along the pressure rods 41, each bearing sleeve 55 is preferably mounted in an aperture at the outer corner of a movable platform plate 59 whose inner end is slidable on the guide post 33. The bearing sleeve 55 is `also rotatable within the aperture in the platform plate 59; for this reason, sets of needle thrust bearings 61 are provided at the bottom and top of plate 59. At the top, the needle thrust bearings 61 engage the lower shoulder of an outer sleeve 63 placed about the upper end of the bearing sleeve 55 and fastened thereto as by a snap retainer ring 65 acting against opposing shoulders on the sleeves. At the bottom of the plate 59, an adjustment is provided by set screws 67 threaded in a flange on the bearing sleeve 55 and urging a washer 69 about the sleeve 55 upwardly against the lower needle thrust bearings 61.

The movable platform plate S9 is secured to the end of the cylinder rod 71 of an air or hydraulic cylinder 73 mounted on the top of the main mounting plate 31. The cylinder rod 71 passes through the subplate 35 and a spring 7S is disposed about the rod between the plates 31 and 35. It is evident that when the air cylinder 73 is energized, the platform plate 59 moves up and down along to guide rod 33 and pressure rods 41 carrying with it the bearing sleeves 55 and oscillating knives 53.

Oscillation of the knives 53 is preferably achieved by an A.C. solenoid 77 having a suitable frequency. The solenoid 77 is mounted on platform plate 59 and has two armatures 79 which reciprocate together within field coil 81. Crossbar 83 extends through the ends of the two armatures 79 and to either side to make a swivel connection by means of pin S and slot 87 with an actuating link 89. The two actuating links 89, one at either end of crossbar 33, each extend into a chordal slot in its respective outer sleeve 63 and is rotatively connected to the sleeve 63 by means of a pin 91 extending upwardly into a bore in the sleeve. Upon retraction of the solenoid .armatures 79 inwardly, links 89 are drawn backwardly causing each outer sleeve 63 to make a partial rotation, thereby likewise rotatingr its bearing sleeve 55 and oscillating knife 53. To assist the return of each outer sleeve 63 and connected parts to the starting position, bar -93 is pinned at 95 to the diametrically opposite outer portions of sleeve 63 and is constantly biased rearwardly by spring 96 secured to lug 97 on the solenoid 77.

To review briefly the operation of the round corner cutting machine 15, a stack of superimposed record cards 11 is placed on table 17 against guide plates 19 and 21' to align them one on top of the other. Then air cylinder 29 is actuated to lower retractable feet 43 against the two corners of the stack until the proper amount of force is applied to hold the cards in alignment and to compress the stack without skewing the cards. The solenoid 77 is turned on to cause the oscillating knives 53 to oscillate back and forth as the armatures 79 are reciprocated and the actuating links 89 canse partial rotation of the outer sleeves 63 each of which is connected through bearing sleeve 55 to its respective knife 53. The .air cylinder 73 is actuated at the same or a later time to cause cylinder rod 71 to lower the movable platform plate S9 slowly downward, carrying with it the oscillating knives 53. A lower limit of travel is provided by the engagement of platform plate 59 with stop collar 9g on guide post 33 and an upper limit is provided by collar 101 on cylinder rod 71 striking subplate 35. The frequency of oscillation of the knives 53 and the rate of advance of the knives through the stack of cards is adjusted to achieve a good, clean cut without unnecessary slowness. The speed of oscillation, however, should be at least one cycle for each thickness of card (typically .G07) advanced vertically. The advantage of the combination of rotary motion and translation through the stack of record cards to cut round corners is that a much lighter cutting force is required as compared to a straight guillotining of the corners without rotation of the knife.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A round corner cutting device for a stack of record cards wherein the record cards are supported superimposed upon one another with their edges in alignment, said round corner cutting device comprising a mounting plate assembly having a plurality of pressure rods depending therefrom which terminate in yieldable retractable feet, means for moving said retractable feet into engagement with the corners of the stack of cards with a predetermined amount of force,

an arcuate knife for each of said pressure rods having a radius equal to that of the round corners to be cut,

means for mounting each said arcuate knife for Oscillation about its respective pressure rod while sliding along the rod to project therefrom, and

power means for oscillating said knives and for simultaneously moving said knives in unison along the pressure rods to advance through the stack 'of cards cutting round corners. 2. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein said knife mounting means and power means comprise a platform plate extending between said pressure rods, means secured to said mounting plate assembly for translating said platform plate along the rods,

means for securing said knives for movement with said platform plate while being oscillatable with respect thereto, and

solenoid means mounted on said platform plate for oscillating said knives.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein said knife mounting means and power means comprise a platform plate extending between said pressure rods,

means secured to the mounting plate assembly for translating said platform plate along the pressure rods,

a bearing sleeve on each of said pressure rods connected to its respective arcuate knife,

said bearing sleeves being secured to said platform plate for sliding along the pressure rods therewith while being oscillatable with respect thereto, and solenoid means mounted on said platform plate for oscillating said bearing sleeves and connected knives.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. A ROUND CORNER CUTTING DEVICE FOR A STACK OF RECORD CARDS WHEREIN THE RECORD CARDS ARE SUPPORTED SUPERIMPOSED UPON ONE ANOTHER WITH THEIR EDGES IN ALIGNMENT, SAID ROUND CORNER CUTTING DEVICE COMPRISING A MOUNTING PLATE ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLURALITY OF PRESSURE RODS DEPENDING THERFROM WHICH TERMINATE IN YIELDABLE RETRACTABLE FEET, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID RETRACTABLE FEET INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CORNERS OF THE STACK OF CARDS WITH A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF FORCE, AN ARCUATE KNIFE FOR EACH OF SAID PRESSURE RODS HAVING A RADIUS EQUAL TO THAT OF THE ROUND CORNERS TO BE CUT, 